


Hey Jealousy

by Pembrooke330



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Jealousy, Jeronica, Jughead x Veronica, One Shot, Riverdale, Secret Crush, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Veronica Lodge - Freeform, Vughead, jughead - Freeform, jughead jones - Freeform, veronica - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 22:57:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17755082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pembrooke330/pseuds/Pembrooke330
Summary: A date. The thought of Veronica going out with Reggie Mantle sent a shockwave of resentment throughout his entire system. And his first instinct was to find a way to thwart it.





	Hey Jealousy

“Can I help you, Jones?” Reggie Mantle asked as Jughead Jones walked up to the bar of La Bonne Nuit after hours.

Jughead was confused by the greeting. He knew Reggie hung out at the speakeasy quite a bit, but he didn’t think he was an employee. He certainly wasn’t dressed like one as he sat at the bar in a suit and tie, as if he was waiting for a date.

“Uh, I guess? I’m looking for Veronica.” He replied as he lay his motorcycle helmet on a barstool.

Reggie turned in his chair to give Jughead the once over.

“Why do you need to see Veronica?” Reggie asked, a territorial tone in his voice.

Jughead scowled at the football jock. He was acting strangely like how a boyfriend would act whenever another guy came sniffing around.

“She and I have some business to discuss.” Jughead replied bluntly.

Reggie looked at him as if he was waiting for further explanation, but Jughead wasn’t about to give him any more information than that. His business with Veronica had nothing to do with Meathead Mantle.

Suddenly, Veronica appeared from the storage room where she kept a small office.

She looked absolutely breathtaking in a sparkly, criminally short, navy blue dress that hugged every curve of her incredible body.

Jughead’s heart thumped wildly in his chest.

“Jughead…hey…I…uh…I wasn’t expecting you this late.” She said, her face flushed with how flustered she seemed to suddenly be.

Jughead quickly realized that she and Reggie were both dressed up for a reason, and that reason looked to be some sort of date.

A date. The thought of Veronica going out with Reggie Mantle sent a shockwave of resentment throughout his entire system. And his first instinct was to find a way to thwart it.

“Yeah, well, sorry to interrupt…you know… _whatever_ this is…” He said as he motioned between Veronica and Reggie.

“But I had some things I needed to discuss with you, seeing as how you hired me to keep you protected and informed. Not sure gallivanting around town in a flashy dress is the best way to stay under the radar from your father and his Gargoyles.”

He knew there was an edge to his voice that he wouldn’t normally have had now that he and Veronica were, in some small way, more like friends in the past few weeks than they had ever been before.

Jughead knew he shouldn’t feel any sense of betrayal from her, but something about her dating Reggie felt like she’d given him a proverbial punch to the gut that only she could seem to give him. Only Veronica had ever elicited such a rollercoaster of emotions within him. With everyone else, it was just par for the course, but with Veronica, what he felt towards her always seemed to be fueled by something with far too much power behind it. And he could never quite understand why.

“Well, not that it’s any of your business, Jughead, but we’re going over to Glendale, to a River Cruise for the evening, so I don’t think I have to worry about my father or his spies tonight.”

Jughead’s eyes stayed locked on hers as he tried to find another, credible, solid reason for her to not go out on a date with Reggie.

“Do you have something you _really_ need to tell me, Jug? Or can it wait?” She asked as she ran a hand through her hair, loose and cascading down her back like dark chocolate waves. She was mesmerizing.

Jughead opened his mouth, fully planning on telling her that he did, indeed, need to talk to her.

“I’m sure it can wait, beautiful.” Reggie interjected as he walked over to her and put an arm around her waist, a satisfied look on his face at knowing he was the one that would get to be with the beautiful princess of Riverdale for the night.

“Fine. It will wait. Have a great night.” Jughead said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he grabbed his helmet and got out of the club as quickly as he could.

\---

 

“So am the last person or the first person to find out that Veronica is dating Reggie?” Jughead asked as he, Archie, and Betty sat at their typical booth at Pop’s.

He watched as Veronica bussed a table at the other end of the diner, looking so different than she had the night before but just as stunning.

“Um, probably not the last, Juggy. It’s pretty new.” Betty said as she smiled at her boyfriend.

Jughead felt guilty about his jealousy when he had his own, amazing girlfriend who loved him unconditionally. But despite his love for Betty, there was something about Veronica that he couldn’t seem to shake.

“Since when do you care about the love lives of anybody that isn’t you?” Archie asked with a laugh.

Jughead shrugged.

“I don’t. But it doesn’t bother you, Arch? That your ex is dating Reggie? I mean, what does she even _see_ in him?”

Archie cocked an eyebrow at his best friend.

“Well…she’s happy, and that’s all that really matters. Plus, I’m dating Josie now.”

Jughead scowled before taking a bite of his burger. Apparently there was no one else that could convince Veronica that dating Reggie was a foolish mistake that she would surely regret.

“You guys doing okay? Can I get you anything?” Veronica asked with a smile as she wiped her hands on her apron.

Jughead looked up at her, annoyed with her cheery demeanor.

“So, did you have fun last night? Did Mantle captivate you with his vast knowledge of spitballs and chewing gum flavors?” Jughead asked, sarcasm heavy in his tone.

Veronica’s bright smile quickly dulled.

“Stop Jughead, it’s none of your business who Veronica dates.” Betty hissed next to him.

But he couldn’t pull his glare away from the girl who had come to mean more to him than just someone who paid for his services.

“Actually, Jughead, I had a very _lovely_ time with Reginald. He’s funny, sweet, and a perfect gentleman.”

Jughead scoffed.

“Sweet? Yeah, right. Sweet my _ass_.”

Betty nudged him in the ribs.

“What?” He yelped as he shot a look at her.

But Betty only glared at him.

“Well, if you guys don’t need anything, I’m going to go check on my other tables.” Veronica said as she scowled at Jughead before walking over to the next table.

“What has gotten _into_ you?” Betty asked as she and Archie both stared at him in disbelief.

Jughead didn’t feel like explaining himself. Instead, he left a few dollars on the table and got up to leave.

“I need to get going. Archie, can you give Betty a ride home?”

Archie nodded.

“Sure, man. You okay?”

Jughead shrugged.

“Uh…yeah…I just need to take care of some things. I’ll call you later, Betts.”

\---

 

“You need to get it together, Jug. Betty was pretty upset after you left Pop’s last night.” Archie said as he and Jughead played a game of pool at the Whyte Wyrm.

Jughead sighed. He knew he’d been a jerk to Betty’s best friend, but he also knew that his concern for Veronica had been far too obvious. He was jealous, and everyone knew it.

“I’m sorry, Archie. And I’ll apologize to Betty too. I don’t know what my problem is.”

Archie shook his head.

“Yes, you do. Veronica has gotten to you. She has that way about her, man. And it’s impossible to ignore. Problem is, _you_ have a girlfriend and Veronica is now dating Reggie.”

Jughead shrugged.

“It’s not like I think I could have a chance with her, Arch. But…yeah…I care about her. Regrettably, I’m…I’m so _attracted_ to her. Fuck, dude…I think about her all the time, and not just because I’m being paid to keep her safe.”

Archie chuckled.

“Yep, sounds about right. It’s the Veronica Lodge lovesickness. You’ve got it bad.”

Jughead leaned against the pool table and stared up at the cracked ceiling above.

“What am I going to do, Archie?” He asked with a sigh.

Archie leaned against the table next to his friend.

“Well, you have two choices. Either tell her how you feel and see if she might feel the same. Or, don’t tell her and do your best to forget her. But I have to be honest with you, Jug. No matter which option you choose, it won’t be easy.”

\---

 

Jughead sighed as he sat at the bar of La Bonne Nuit, Veronica sitting next to him.

“I came by to apologize for being such a jerk.” He said as he looked at her, his heart thumping hard in his chest.

The way she looked at him was evocative and addictive. When her attention was locked on him, he felt worthy of something, even without knowing exactly what it might be.

“It’s not fair for me to begrudge whoever you decide to date, and I’m sorry…Veronica.”

Veronica’s eyes widened.

“Wow, Jughead. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you apologize to me before. It’s almost _too_ weird of you.” She said with a laugh.

Jughead chuckled.

“Well you know it’s not _often_ that I’m ever wrong, but when I am, I can summon up the humility to apologize. You didn’t deserve me giving you a hard time about Mantle. And I hope you accept my apology.” He said as he took her hand in his and squeezed it.

It wasn’t a move he’d planned to make, but he wanted Veronica to know how much he meant his words, and actions always spoke louder.

Veronica looked down at their hands, almost like she didn’t know what to say.

“Why _were_ you so angry about me and Reggie?” She finally asked as she looked up at him, her eyes locked on his, challenging him to tell her the truth.

Jughead knew that was his moment to lay his heart completely bare to her, to tell her everything that had been going on in his mind over the past few weeks when it came to her and how she was affecting him.

It was his moment to remove her from the quiet place deep inside his heart where he’d been hiding her and tell her what she was beginning to mean to him.

It was his moment to see if this could be the start of something he hadn’t know he could ever want, but he wanted more than anything.

He swallowed hard and opened his mouth to speak, but just then Veronica’s phone suddenly rang to life.

“Hold on just a sec, Jug.” She said with a grin on her face as her hand left his so she could pick up her phone.

“Hey, Reg…how are you?”

Her voice was syrupy sweet as she spoke to Reggie on the other end of the call. Her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes twinkling. She laughed at something he said and it was one of the most wonderful sounds Jughead had ever heard.

She seemed genuinely happy.

Finally, she said goodbye and ended the call before turning her attention back to Jughead.

“Sorry about that. Were you going to say something, Jughead?” She asked, her smile still lingering and making Jughead’s heart ache.

But Jughead shook his head no.

“No…not really. It can wait. I need to get going anyway.” He said as he got up to leave.

Veronica looked at him curiously.

“Are you sure there was nothing else you wanted to tell me?” She asked, seemingly aware that Jughead hadn’t just come by the speakeasy to only make an apology.

Jughead looked at her, taking in every angle of her face and curve of her body. He already had her memorized, but he still could never take seeing for granted.

“I’m sure. See you later, Veronica.” He replied, giving her a faint smile before walking back up the stairs to Pop’s.

As much as he had been ready to tell her how he felt, to explain why he’d been so jealous of her relationship with Reggie, he could clearly see how happy Reggie seemed to make her and there was no way he wanted to get in the way of that.

He cared so much about her, to the point that her happiness meant much more to him than his own.

But regardless of his sacrifice, he’d meant it when he’d told Veronica that what he needed to say could wait.

And it would, until the time was right.

 

The End.

 

 


End file.
